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I. The Mi'kmaq People
From HCO Jr
| Part 1. First People of Canada → A. Turtle Island → B. The Wendat → C. The Siksika → D. The Haida → E. The Dene → F. The Inuit → G. The Cree → H. The Ojibwa → I. The Mi'kmaq |
| Mi'kmaq - Gallery | Stories & Texts | Web Links | Vocab | Student Activities | Class Projects |
The Mi'kmaq
Contents |
"Mi'kmaq" means "allies" in the Mi'kmaq language. They also called themselves Elnu which means "the people." They lived (and still live) in the Maritime region of Canada. Mi'kmaq people relied on both the sea and the land to support themselves.
Mi'kmaq language is part of a group called the Algonkian family of languages. Like other First Nation languages it is very descriptive. For example, the Mi'kmaq word for the month of May is "Tqoljewiku's." This means "frog-croaking moon" in English. February is called "Apiknajit." In English this means the "snow-blinder." They used their language to describe the environment they lived in.
Environment of the Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq territory is very large. It covered the maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and part of Quebec. There are long winters in this part of Canada. Winter is not as cold as more northern parts of Canada. Summers can be warm. Ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean keep the air warm, and bring a lot of rain or snow to the maritimes.
Large forests cover the land. Many different trees grow here both deciduous and coniferous. Many different plants also grow in the region. A lot of different animals also live in the region: deer, black bears, moose, wolves, beaver, muskrat, and many types of ducks and geese. In the northern part there are many large rocks because it is part of the Canadian Shield.
Most important is the Atlantic Ocean. Mi'kmaq people relied on both the forests and the ocean to support themselves. Many types of fish and other sea life were used by the Mi'kmaq.
Mi'kmaq Life & the Four Seasons
Spring
During the spring Mi'kmaq people gathered together in villages along the coast. They stayed here until the autumn. They fished for different types of fish and eels. Geese came to the maritimes in the spring to lay eggs. Men hunted for geese while women collected goose eggs for food.
During the summer the Mi'kmaq relied on ocean food: fish and eels and porpoises. Cod fish were an important source of food at this time. They also collected berries and other wild plants to eat, or dry and store for the winter.
Autumn
In September the Mi'kmaq travelled a little way into the forest. Eels gathered in some rivers to lay eggs. Mi'kmaq men and women took the eels as food. Near the end of the autumn the men hunted for moose and beaver.
Winter
During the winter the Mi'kmaq went further into the forest. It is warmer in the forest than on the coast. Strong winds cannot travel into the forest because the trees act as wind breakers. Men hunted for moose, bear, beaver and otter in the winter.
Mi'kmaq Society
Technology
Some Mi'kmaq technology was similar to technology of other First Nations. People who live in similar environments often create the same things to help them survive. For example, Mi'kmaq people made snowshoes and toboggans. In fact, the English word "toboggan" is from the Mi'kmaq word taba'gan.
Mi'kmaq people made canoes out of birchbark. They also made canoes from caribou skins. Hundreds of years ago caribou existed in the maritimes (there are still caribou in northern Newfoundland). Birchbark was also used to make their homes, and to make containers to store food and water. Porcupine quills and certain animal hair was sewed into special containers. Mi'kmaq women made beautiful designs.
Mi'kmaq people used spears and harpoons to catch certain sea animals. Certain animal bones were used to make the tips of these weapons. They also used bows and arrows. Wood and animal sinew was used to make the bow. Wood and animal bones or sharp stone points were made into arrows.
Mi'kmaq Villages
Unlike some First Nations people the Mi'kmaq could live in large communities. There was enough food in the spring and summer for people to gather in villages. They did this to share work and catch large numbers of fish, eels, lobster, whales, seals and other animals in the ocean.
During the winter the Mi'kmaq lived in smaller groups. Usually one or two families lived together. During the winter food could be scarce. It was easier for only a few people to live together. If too many people lived in one area there might not be enough animals for people to hunt.
Clans and Families
Mi'kmaq parents wanted large families. There was usually a lot of food to support large families. Young boys and girls learned from their fathers and mothers how to help the family. Fathers taught sons how to hunt and fish. They also learned how to make tools and weapons for hunting and trapping. When a boy killed his first large animal (usually a moose) his family held a large feast to celebrate.
When a young man met a woman he wanted to marry he asked her father for permission. If the father and young woman both agreed the man lived with her family for one year. He had to prove he was a good hunter who could support his new wife and any children they might have. When the year finished the woman's father would agree if the young man had proved himself. Once they were married the new couple lived with her parents or his parents.
Mi'kmaq Food
Sources of Food
Mi'kmaq people relied on the land and the ocean for food. Much of their food did come from the ocean. It allowed them to have large families and live in large communities because there were so many fish and other marine animals. They did grow some food such as corn, but this did not happen very often.
Women prepared all of the food. Women either roasted meat or fish in the fire, or boiled it. To boil water women placed hot stones from the fire into birch bark containers of water. They also made wood kettles from tree stumps. Women hollowed out a tree stump, filled it with water, and placed hot rocks in the water to boil their food.
Women also smoked meat over an open fire to preserve it. They also made something called moose butter. Women boiled moose bones until they were soft. Then they pounded the bones into a white grease. This butter was used as food when travelling.
Hunting and Fishing
Mi'kmaq hunters took a lot of different animals from the forest. Deer, moose, caribou, black bears, beaver and otters were some of the important animals the Mi'kmaq hunted. Hunters killed some animals with spears and bows and arrows. Other animals were caught in special traps.
Mi'kmaq hunters also used hunting dogs. These dogs were very valuable to the hunters. Dogs found animals by smelling their scent. Hunters followed their dog to find out where some animals were hiding. For example, during the winter a hunting dog could find all of the escape routes used by a beaver to get out of a frozen pond.
Seals were an important source of food. Hunters did not travel onto the ice like the Inuit to hunt seals. Ice on the Atlantic Ocean is not as thick as ice on the Arctic Ocean. Hunters looked for seals that were on the land.
Clothing
During the summer time men wore a loincloth. During the winter men and women wore fur robes, leggings and heavy moccasins. Young girls wore moose skin dresses which went down past their knees. Women decorated some clothing with porcupine quills and moose hair. Quills and hair were dyed different colours before being sewn into the clothes.
Travel
Mi'kmaq people travelled at different times of the year. They did this to find food and other resources. They used snowshoes and tobaggans to travel in the winter. During the spring, summer and fall they walked great distances. Canoes were another important way for the Mi'kmaq to travel. Canoes were light weight. One person could carry a canoe between lakes and rivers (called a portage). Canoes were large enough to carry 5 or 6 people and all of their food and equipment.
Mi'kmaq Religion
Mi'kmaq people believed in a supreme god that made the world and everything in it. They also believed in other powerful spirits and beings. One such spirit was Glooscap. Many legends tell how Glooscap created different animals, or gave them distinctive features. Glooscap also taught people how to make different tools and weapons to help them hunt and fish. When he left he told the people he would return again when the Mi'kmaq needed him.
Like many other First Nations the Mi'kmaq had shamans. Usually shamens were men, but women could also become shamans. Shamens communicated with spirits and other powerful beings. They cured sick people, predicted the future, and helped hunters have successful hunts. Herbs and plants helped to cure some illnesses. Sometimes shamans used chanting, prayers and religious ceremonies to cure illness. Some shamans were feared by the Mi'kmaq. They could also cause sickness.
Men often took part in a sweat lodge ceremony. They gathered in a specially built wigwam. A fire with many hot rocks was in the centre of the wigwam. Men poured water on the rocks and created steam. Sweating was a way to purify your body.
Mi'kmaq Government
Mi'kmaq government was very different from other Algonquian people. For example, there was one "Grand Chief" or sagamore for all the Mi'kmaq people. Anishinabg and Nishnawbi-Aski people did not have a grand chief in the past. The sagamore lived on Cape Breton Island.
When French settlers first arrived in Canada they met a sagamore named Membertou. He was a powerful leader. In addition to being a chief he was a strong warrior and hunter, and he was a shaman.
There were seven other chiefs under the Grand Chief. Each chief was in charge of a section land (or district) in Mi'kmaq territory. These seven chiefs would meet with the Grand Chief to discuss issues and problems affecting the Mi'kmaq. Each district chief controlled the hunting territories in their area. Every year the district chief decided where each family would hunt. Large families received bigger territories.
There were also local chiefs. These chiefs were leaders of their families or maybe two or three families. Usually there were 30 to 40 people in a group.
| Part 1. First People of Canada → A. Turtle Island → B. The Wendat → C. The Siksika → D. The Haida → E. The Dene → F. The Inuit → G. The Cree → H. The Ojibwa → I. The Mi'kmaq |
| Mi'kmaq - Gallery | Stories & Texts | Web Links | Vocab | Student Activities | Class Projects |
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